Amusement apparatus.



. GARDY.

AMUSEMBNT APPARATUS. APPLIoATloN FILED Mm 4, 1910.

.Patented May 27, 1913.

lila... ,il

[VI/E VTOR. 2/

A NORA/EY.

' ldstructed and operated has in practice proven unsatisfactory for the following reasons:'

` -to the discomfortfof the passengers; second, f y strain upon the operating mechanism due to incarica.. i

To all 'whom t may concern PfrENT onirica.

HENRY njemnr, orrHiLAnnLrniA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AMUSEMENT 'ArrARATUs Specification of'Letters Patent. Patented llLy 27, 1913 Application sied May 4, icio. serial No. 559,327.

Be it known that I, HENRY D. GARDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at .Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to amusement apparatus vand has more particular relation to that class of rotating 4or revolving pleasurel carriages which are in the form of boats.

adapted for travel through a tank filled with water. Apparatus of this class as 'now con- First, the driving wheel by which the boats are rotated or revolved is .of such small diameter, and the arms extending therefrom for guiding the boats are so long, that the boats in starting move in al jerky manner and when about to stop sway back and forth the fact that the arms for moving the boats are not sufficiently -The principal objects ofthe present invention are, first, toovercome the above recited disadvant-ageous features and tov provide apparatus of the character indicated in which tlie driving element or wheel is at least of a diameter equal to one third of the, diameter of theA tank tlirou h which the boats travel, second, vto provi e a multiplicity of boats yieldingly. connected together i and so arranged that in starting lthe same in their travel through the tank the Amovement of all the boats shall he gradual and uniform tion, yet is so arranged' and connected as tol he capable of permitting the boats to re'- l spond to necessary. rise and fall incident to water movement within the aqueduct and.

fourth, to provide a driving elementfof relatively 'large diameter v.equipped with balllcraced and are so widely .sepa-rated. v

bearings to facilitate the operation thereof both in starting and stopping the movement of the boats. c f

Other objects of the invention relate to the providing of 2in-amusement apparatus of the character indicated which shall he simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, efficient in operation and possessing attractive amusement features.

The invention consists. ofv the iniproveasments hereinafter described and finally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be more fully` understood from the following description taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings forming part hereof and in which Figure l, is a view partly in elevation and partly in central section of amusement apparatus, embodying the invention, Fig. 2, is a vplan view of Fig. l, with the canopy or roof removed and certain lparts broken'away, Fig. 3, is a fragmentary view in central section of the main driving element in Figs. l, and 2,

and Fig. 4, is a'fragmentary view illustrating-details of construction hereinafter rev ferred to:

- Referring to the drawings there is illustrated a tank l, normally filled with water.I

as at 2, iid is provided with an offset 3, for I The a purpose to be presently described. tank l, is provided with a manhole 4, in the bottom thereof for cleaning .purposes,-lead `ing from which is an olf-take or drain 5. Connecting with the olf-take or drain 5, and shown as extending up within the oset 3, in order to be out of the way of the moving boats is an over-flow pipe 6.. Water may be admitted tothe tank by .means ofthe connection 7. 1n practice a canopy or roof 8, is

erected above the tank and a walk 9, for the' A convenience of passengers encircles the tank as does a suitable railing 1G, Arranged cen-` trally'of the tank l, and anchored thereto is a bearing block ll, provided with a bearing platefl., and an upwardly projecting "steml, see lilig. 3. Mounted to freely roicc tate with respectv to the stem 13 ,`is a driving element comprising a wheel 14,1nterposed between the hub 15', of which andthe bearing plate 12,-are ball-bearings 16. The driv ing element 14, is of relatively large diameter and is shown as being of a diameter at least equalto one third of the cross section ings 21, within the offset 3, is a sprocket.

wheel 22, of comparatively large diameterconnecting which and a smaller sprocket wheel 23, supported in bearings 24, that rise vertically from the bearings 21, is a sprocket chain 50. Fixed to the saine shaft that car# ries the sprocket wheel-2.3 i's a pulley 25, motion to which may be 'imparted by means of a'belt connected with a suitable source of l power, as an electric motor26.

The boats a, are ornamental 1n appearance, preferably of swan-like configuration fand are provided with guard rails 27, therailing on the boat-side nearest the 'centerv of the apparatus being continuous to pre-1 v vent passengers falling into-the tank and,

35 side nearest the sidewalls of the tank beingthe railing on the'opposite boat-side or .that

provided with openings for the ready in. gress and egress of passengers. The boats a, are equipped fore and att with headed stems 28, the stems of each boat having movable relation with respect to the rigidly arranged arms 29, which arms in turn have pivotal relation as at 30, with lugs uponthe top of the driving element 14. Coiled around the stems 28, between the boats and v the arms 29, and .between said arms and the head of the stems are springs 5l, to'provide a buffer-construction calculated to enhance the comfort of the passengers incident to the" stopping and starting of the boats. Rigidly connectingjogether each pair of arms "29, are -braces shown as comprising angle irons 81. As shown in Fig. 4, the angle irons are Asecured Jto. and between eachpair of .arms

29, by means of eye-bolts 31?, As shown in Fig. 2, when assembled, the braces are arrangedl in the shape lof an' Octagon. This construction serves to provide rigidity to eachfpair of arms without in any Wayinter- I ferring ,with their hinged relation; 1Con. necting each of the braced pairlof arms 29," are yielding connections 32, shown'ascomrising chains. `These yielding connections.,

are secured to adjacent eye-bolts lnd' serve .to' link all thevboats together which .in practice it has been demonstrated serves to provide an eiiicient medium for vstarting `their movement in that as allV theboatsare connected one with another they may vbe started to mo-ve gradually without undue `jerking. In other words each boat in its forward movement serves to draw the follo'wing' boat.- Eachfof the arms 29, is provided with a clampB-l, having an eye 34, connect# ing which and an eye 35, l,on the boats a, is a rod 36,'provided with hook-like extremities. .This 'onstru'ction serves to prevent the boat .fromV accidental tipping and at the same Atime provides convenient means whereby when the boat ships water the hooked rods 36, may be disconnected and the boats. turned about their ivotal. connections todrain the same. Byt e a ove described construction and k,arrangement of parts the boatsmay beslowly and easily started without jerking and onyaccount of the relatively rigid construction ofthe' arms 29, in addiltion to the fact that they are comparatively short,a steady, -rm onward movement is imparted tothe boats although on accountof their ivotalconnectionwith said arms f and the inged, relation of said arms 'with the'driving element 'they are free to respond to any movement of the Water', In stopping the apparatus 'the`\ above described connection 'and 'arrangement "of parts likewise seryes' toy revent the boats :from swaying 'back'and orth through the momentum they ma have-acquired in their travel. That is eac l boatfserves-to'hold in check the boat following. 4AThe center pole of the apparatus may be encircled with a screen'37, hav- ,ing delineated. thereon marinel or other views which serves'to enhance the amusement feature of the apparatus." Inv practice go'od results vhave been obtained. by projecting.the top of the'tank above the walk 9, so that the vwater line is slightly higher than the Walk so that passengers are compelled to step fromthe walk 9, up into the boats a, in contradistinction 'from stepping down into theiboats. This feature is important of Ithe ltank is below the wal-k the passengers are apt to 'into the boats, thereby agitatin thev water within the tank to pro- `-duce sp ashing`l` and also serving to..strain jarinsin pairs connecting each boat with said 4drivi element, adJacent arms being ar' rang relatively close together'throughout .their .length, lan angle iron arranged between and rigidly'conecting together each pair .of arms substantially midway between vi'iljvie'w of the fact-that when the water line said boats and said driving element the as' In testimony whereof I have hereunto sembled angle irons being 'of octagonal consigned my name. l figuration, an eye-boltfor securing each end 'HENRY D. GARDY. of each angle iron to place and a short chain Witnesses:

5 section between 1nd secured to adjacent eye- WILLIAM J. JACKSON,

bolts. AGNES CASKEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

